Ancient Borinquen: Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Native Puerto Rico

447 Pages·2005·4.28 MB·English

by  Dr. Peter E. Siegel Ph.D.

ANCIENT BORINQUEN
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ANCIENT BORINQUEN
Archaeology and Ethnohistory
of Native Puerto Rico
Edited by Peter E. Siegel
The University of Alabama Press
Tuscaloosa
Copyright © 2005
The University of Alabama Press
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487–0380
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Typeface: AGaramond
∞
The paper on which this book is printed meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–
1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ancient Borinquen : archaeology and ethnohistory of native Puerto Rico / edited by Peter E. Siegel.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8173-1471-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8173-5238-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Indians of the West Indies—Puerto Rico—Antiquities. 2. Indians of the West Indies—Puerto Rico—
History. 3. Ethnohistory—Puerto Rico. 4. Puerto Rico—Antiquities. I. Siegel, Peter E.
F1969.A53 2005
972.95′01—dc22
2005002033
To Ricardo E. Alegría and Irving Rouse,
Caciques of Puerto Rican Archaeology

CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
ix
Preface
xv
1 The Crab-Shell Dichotomy Revisited: The Lithics Speak Out
Reniel Rodríguez Ramos
1
2 The Paso del Indio Site, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico: A Progress Report
Jeff Walker
55
3 Environmental and Cultural Correlates in the West Indies:
A View from Puerto Rico
Peter E. Siegel, John G. Jones,
Deborah M. Pearsall, and Daniel P. Wagner
88
4 The Status of Paleoethnobiological Research on Puerto Rico
and Adjacent Islands
Susan D. deFrance and Lee A. Newsom
122
5 Ceramic-Age Dietary Patterns in Puerto Rico:
Stable Isotopes and Island Biogeography
Anne V. Stokes
185
6 Deconstructing the Polity: Communities and Social Landscapes of
the Ceramic-Age Peoples of South Central Puerto Rico
Joshua M. Torres
202
7 The Proto-Taíno Monumental Cemís of Caguana:
A Political-Religious “Manifesto”
José R. Oliver
230
8 Rivers of Stone, Rivers within Stone: Rock Art in Ancient Puerto Rico
Peter G. Roe
285
9 The Aftermath of Conquest:
The Indians of Puerto Rico during the Early Sixteenth Century
Karen F. Anderson-Córdova
337
10 Multiple Visions of an Island’s Past and Some Thoughts for
Future Directions in Puerto Rican Prehistory
Peter E. Siegel
353
References Cited
365
Contributors
415
Index
419
viii / Contents
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
Frontispiece Map of the Caribbean Basin.
Figure 1.1. General core-®ake lineal reduction model. 20
Figure 1.2. Percentages of ®akes by technique of extraction in the selected
subsample for each lithostratigraphic unit. 25
Figure 1.3. Bipolar cores in the Cuevas component of the site (LU-III). 30
Figure 1.4. Percentages of collapsed raw materials by lithostratigraphic unit in the
®ake products related to core-®ake reduction in the selected subsample. 31
Figure 1.5. Flakes made by the cobble slicing technique. 32
Figure 1.6. Cores made by the cobble slicing technique. 33
Figure 1.7. Chert ®akes made by parallel ®aking. 35
Figure 1.8. Maximum dimension of freehand ®akes in the selected subsample by
lithostratigraphic unit. 36
Figure 1.9. Maximum dimension of ®int freehand ®akes in the selected
subsample. 37
Figure 1.10. Archaic celt (LU-I). 39
Figure 1.11. Cross sections of celts and adzes. 40
Figure 1.12. Necked specimens. 42
Figure 2.1. Locations of excavation units in Pilasters 5 through 8. 59